New Senate Bill to Expand Police Capabilities

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By  USDR

 

The Rapid DNA Act of 2015, has been introduced by U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Diane Feinstein (D-CA). Co-Sponsors to the bill include Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Kirsten Gillebrand (D-NY). This bill is to establish a system for the integration of Rapid DNA instruments for use by law enforcement and coincides with similar legislation in the U.S. House of  Representatives.

“Rapid DNA technology will enable law enforcement agencies to speed up the process of DNA  analysis”

The Rapid DNA Act of 2015 will clear the way for decentralization of arrestee DNA testing, enabling state and local law enforcement jurisdictions to perform Rapid DNA analysis on individuals meeting current legal guidelines. This would potentially reduce crime, positively impact the current backlogs for rape-kits and other DNA sample analysis and help expeditiously exonerate the  innocent.

The bill would be an addendum to the DNA Identification Act of 1994, which established federal DNA labs and authorized the FBI to begin compiling DNA information into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System  (CODIS).

Rapid DNA analysis provides automated, sample to answer results within two hours of collecting a cheek swab DNA sample, making it an effective tool for local and regional law enforcement to quickly identify suspects of certain crimes while still in custody, and exonerate the  innocent.

“Rapid DNA technology will enable law enforcement agencies to speed up the process of DNA analysis,” Senator Hatch said. “Rather than having to wait weeks or months for results, officials will be able to know within two hours whether a sample matches evidence from a crime scene. Faster results will in turn enable officers to more quickly identify suspects and rule out other individuals as potential suspects. This bill will not affect how or when law enforcement collects DNA samples, but rather will simply speed up the process of getting  results.”

“We are very excited about the prospects of Rapid DNA assisting to reduce backlogs and testing times associated with criminal offender DNA samples,” stated Debbie Smith of Hope Exists After Rape Trauma. “Our country has made significant strides in addressing backlogs of untested rape kits, and by making offender DNA analysis much more efficient, investigators will more rapidly identify these rapists and other serious  criminals.”

“The introduction of a Senate Bill represents a significant legislative milestone for the advancement of Rapid DNA technology,” stated Robert Schueren, President, Chief Executive Officer of IntegenX, “Rapid DNA instruments have been used internationally on arrestee suspects while in custody with excellent outcomes. We look forward to advancing such a use case in the  U.S.”

About  IntegenX

IntegenX Inc., headquartered in Pleasanton, California, is the market leader of Rapid Human DNA identification technology. IntegenX technology platforms integrate advanced fluidics, optics, and biochemistry capabilities to produce sample-to-answer products for DNA-based human identity testing for forensics and law enforcement applications. For more information, please visit  www.integenx.com.

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